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As More Women Run for Office, U.S. State Legislatures are Poised to Change

As More Women Run for Office, U.S. State Legislatures are Poised to Change

Photo Credit: Getty/Huffington Post

October 08, 2018

Posted by Women In STEM Editorial Board

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As women line up to run for U.S. political office at historic rates, state legislatures - where some of America’s most critical policy decisions get made - could see a slew of new female lawmakers after November’s vote, according to a Reuters analysis of election data.

In Michigan, for example, a state that proved pivotal in electing President Donald Trump in 2016, only 23 percent of state lawmakers are women. But this year, a woman will appear on the Michigan ballot for governor, attorney general, secretary of state and in 63 percent of the state’s Senate seats and 71 percent of its House seats.

Nationally, if women candidates are as successful as they have been for the past two decades - their historic rate of victory is about 60 percent - the number of women in state legislatures could reach an all-time high of about 40 percent, according to an analysis by Reuters of state ballots and historic campaigns...